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Downcast Adds iCloud Sync to Already Great Podcast App

With iCloud, all your podcasts stay in sync, wherever you listen to them

iOS podcast app Downcast has just gotten an update to v2.5. Amongst a slew of tweaks and fixes comes one big new feature: iCloud sync.

There are generally two ways to listen to podcasts: Have iTunes download them and sync them to your iDevice, or use an app to download direct to your iPad, iPhone or iPod. The iTunes route keeps things synced across devices, but even if you have enabled Wi-Fi sync, you still need a computer.

The second option lets you download new podcasts wherever you have a connection, but has–until iCloud–turned your podcast library into an island, on one device only. Now, Downcast will not only sync your podcast subscriptions between devices, it will also sync the play position, playlists and even app settings. Thus, you can start watching the Gadget Lab podcast and its charismatic presenters on your iPad, pause, leave the house and then carry on where you left off using your iPhone.

Downcast isn't the first "podcatcher" app to do this. Instacast is another iCloud-syncing podcast app with a rather lovely interface. The problem is that it forgets what a podcast app is for: listening to and watching podcasts. Weirdly, the audio playback controls only seem to exist in a tiny popover panel when they should be big, front and center.

Downcast has been in my iPad app dock for months now, but carrying my iPad in the street and using it as an iPod has been rather unwieldy, to say the least. Now I might just go dust off my broken, cracked-screened iPod Touch again.